


Sharing Your Shadow: Prisoner

by heavybreathingcat



Series: Sharing Your Shadow [2]
Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Body Horror, Character Death, Childhood Trauma, Emotional Manipulation, F/M, Father Figures, Found Family, Injury Recovery, M/M, Parenthood, Past mentioned Child Abuse, Physical Abuse, Prisoner of War, Suicidal Thoughts, Torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-29
Updated: 2020-03-30
Packaged: 2020-11-01 09:13:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20812664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heavybreathingcat/pseuds/heavybreathingcat
Summary: Captured as prisoners of war, Timothy and Jack try to survive a post ‘Handsome’ world.This fic is the sequel toSharing Your Shadow: Orphan. It was intended as one fic but I've separated them so you may choose to read the ark that interests you. Otherwise, I encourage you to read both at the same time.On Hiatus until I finish my main epic





	1. The Jack

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is the sequel to [Sharing Your Shadow: Orphan](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20471168/chapters/48574721). It was intended as one fic but I've separated them so you may choose to read the ark that interests you. Otherwise, I encourage you to read both at the same time. I'll be updated them in rotation. 
> 
> [AthenasAspis](https://archiveofourown.org/users/agentandromeda/pseuds/AthenasAspis) is my amazing Beta reader. Kudos to her for improving this work in so many ways!

They'd been arguing for hours.

The Slab King was the loudest, Roland the only voice of reason and Lilith and Mordecai fought between them all.

They did not know what to do with the Jack in the basement.

It was only a day or so ago that Maya was woken in her bunk and hurried into the  bowels of Sanctuary, but it may as well have been weeks. 

The Crimson leaders did not extend this invitation to the other vault hunters. It was as if she'd been nominated the leader through an election she was not aware of, and as their journey brought them closer to the Vault, she was brought closer into the inner circle of the Crimson Raiders. 

Roland was weary almost beyond recognition when she met him in those early hours.  He swore her to secrecy and told her of the man who looked and sounded like Handsome Jack. And for two long days, she kept that secret as the man was held prisoner below their feet. 

It was her call to make when they were to leave for the Bunker, but for the first time since landing on Pandora, she did not know how to proceed. This man, this Jack, was he a threat? A distraction sent from Handsome Jack, or were they finally in the company of the man himself?

Maya did not know. 

She leaned into the dungeon wall, blending into the surroundings. Maya was content being a silent spectator, for now. 

"It's a goddamn Jack, Morty! what else do you need to know?"

"Somethings not right, amigo. Hell, I should be first in line to gun him down for what he did to Bloodwing. But this? I don't think it's him."

Brick cursed loudly and crossed his arms before avoiding the scrutinising gaze of the sniper. 

"This shouldn't even be up for discussion, I say we give him to the people. Let them take revenge for what he did to New Haven."

"Lil, they'd tear him limb from limb," Roland said, face paling as he spoke. Maya silently agreed.

Lilith merely shrugged.

"Woah, that's... dark Lil." Mordecai backed away from the discussion and fumbled at his waist for his hip flask, while silence overwhelmed the room.

"Well, it takes the messiness of it all out of our hands."

"But that's not who we are," Roland interjected. "Brick, you've already taken this too far. We should bring Zed down here and get those wounds treated. This may be a war, but this is not how we treat our prisoners."

"I'm with Roland," Mordecai announced his support with a cheers motion of his flask. "let's think on it in for a few days."

"A few days?!" Lilith tattoos flashed dangerously, and Maya felt the electricity in the air. A Siren's anger was perceived by everyone, but by her most of all. "Jack may have charged the key by then! Let's just be done with him, go to this Bunker and end this!"

"And if Jack is charging the key, then who is  _ HE _ ?!" Mordecai waved a drunken finger towards the cell hallway.

All eyes silently fell towards the door. The Jack within could surely hear the discussion, but he did not speak a word, and Maya was sure he couldn't even if he wanted too. 

She did not miss the blood on the floor and the array of sharp objects hanging on the warden's wall. 

"We know Handsome Jack has body doubles we saw it for ourselves in Opportunity," Roland said, but his calm and collected words did little to soothe Lilith's nerves.

"Anyone willing to sign up to be Handsome Jack is a Jack in my book."

"Yeah, but he's got no cloaking device!" Brick said and slammed a hand upon the warden's desk. 

Modecai took a swig from his flask. It Surprised Maya that he was still able to hold a conversation; she was sure he'd finished two other bottles before that. " _ That _ , in there, is a Jack... he's even got the brand upon his face, so no one is arguing that. but something ain't right. Why did he come to us?"

No one answered, and the silence crawled over Maya. She shivered and crossed her arms over her chest. Torture and keeping prisoners was not what she signed up for. She could justify the killing, sometimes even the slaughter, if it meant getting to the Vault and getting her answers, but this path led to nothing.

Maya pushed off the wall and cleared her throat: "Tell me again what he said."

The Crimson Raiders all broke away. Lilith looked sheepish as if she'd forgotten their discussion was privy to another. 

Brick spoke up first; "Said nothing of use. Wouldn't shut up about saving 'her'."

"Is that all?" Maya asked, raising a brow. She did not believe a man would flee Hyperion and risk execution to only speak of one thing.

"Hell, I asked a lot of questions, but only got the same damn response. 'I can't answer that'."

Maya's jaw clenched, and she did not miss the blood that painted up the Slab King's arm. He'd been kicked out of the Raiders once before, and Maya suspected the past was close to repeating itself. 

Brick scoffed and turned from the group. 

"I've done what I've done, cause someone has too. You were all ready to go to the Bunker, and then HE shows up, Nah, I don't buy that. Go if you want, but Handsome Jack made a move sending him."

"So you're agreeing he's not Handsome Jack?" Mordecai asked.

"I don't know a damn thing!" Brick slammed a fist into a vacant cell door, leaving a sizable dent. "Until he talks, I think we should stay put."

The discussion had come full circle, and the room exploded once again with heated voices. Maya did not need a history lesson and slipped away from the warden's office. The Jack's cell was only a few steps away, but when she reached the door, it felt like she was a world away. The voices behind her faded: it was only her and the cell as if she'd Phaselocked herself into a dark void.

The silhouette of the man in front of her was barely visible. There was no light in his cell, and she only had her tattoos to illuminate the room.

Maya Phaselocked the lock, and with a twist of her hand, she tore it clean off the door. It creaked loudly as she pushed her way in, but the voices from the Raider leaders masked her entrance.

She'd not been permitted to speak with the Jack doppelganger, but the Raiders’ measures now meant nothing to her. She was done with rules after years of being deceived by the Monks of Athenas.

If this man had something to say, if there were something to learn, she would hear it for herself. 

Stepping further into the cell, her boots waded through a puddle, and if not the bitter smell of iron she'd assumed she had stepped into a pool of rainwater. 

The blood ran from the centre of the room, and there the Jack was chained down to a chair. Half his clothes had been torn from his body and the skin peeking through was bruised purple and green. He drew ragged breaths, and a long stream of blood and saliva dripped from his open mouth. 

Maya inched closer.

His head was bowed, hiding his face under a long mattered fringe, which she assumed was once styled perfectly into a coif. Though his face was masked in shadows, the clips upon his chin and the outline of his jaw confirmed his identity.

"They say you're Handsome Jack."

The man didn't reply, and if he was conscious, he gave no indication that he was. 

"They also say you want us to 'save her'."

Maya stepped closer.

"And that you can't talk."

There was a shiver over the Jack's shoulders, and his lips trembled. If he was trying to talk, she could not hear. Maya lingered as close as she dared. He may be chained to a chair, but the first 'Jack' she saw in person had a dozen bombs strapped to its chest. 

"Who are you?"

"Handsome… Jack," the man finally spoke and coughed, spraying blood across his lap.

Maya recoiled, staring at the damage Brick had inflicted upon the man. It was only now she realised he was missing two fingers on his left hand - his pinky and ring finger - both had been cut, and it wasn't a clean snip either. His hand hung limp on the arm of the chair, the two stumps dripped blood, contributing to the pool at their feet.

She wondered if anything else was missing.

"Why did you come to Sanctuary?"

He only groaned and slowly shook his head. His matted hair brushed to the side, revealing the large scar on his face.

The reason Jack wore the mask became clear.

The scar, or rather the brand, was in the shape of a vault symbol and ran deep into his skin. It started on one cheek and arched over his forehead, finishing on the other cheek. One eye was swollen shut from Brick's fists, while the other was milky white. Maya suspected it was from where the brand had scorched it. 

"I don't recognise... your voice," he said, and slowly he raised his head and leaned it against the back of the chair, wincing as it made contact.

"I don't make it a habit to engage with nagging sociopaths over my comm"

The man coughed, and Maya's eyes narrowed. He was trying to laugh.

"Wise... advice..."

He gazed up at her, but she doubted he could see. Brick had made sure there wasn't an inch of flesh not swollen from his fists. And by the state of the Jack's hands and missing fingers, the bandit king grew impatient when punches alone were not getting him answers.

Maya hoped a softer interrogation would yield results. A 'good cop' approach, as Axton had once explained to her. 

"Why did you come here?"

"To ask you… to save... her."

"Save who?"

"I–I… can't. I… can't answer that."

"Why?"

She tried to denote softness in her voice, but frustration seeped in, and he flinched.

"I  _ can't… _ " he finally squeezed out. "Hyperion… made sure of that."

Maya looked away and bit her lip. Roland was right, if he was already in this state and they were not getting answers, then she doubted fewer fingers would provide better results. They should send for Dr Zed, but that was not her call to make. And if the people of Sanctuary learnt of him, then they would do as Roland said: they would tear him limb from limb and string him up in the town square.

Handsome Jack was right about some things. They were not that different from the bandits below.

Maya knelt in front of him, so she was level with his damaged hand. They had been questioning him for days, and she was told the answer was always the same. 

_ 'I can't answer that.' _

Would he rather lose every finger than talk? But why come then? 

He wasn't dressed like Handsome Jack or as any Hyperion employee; in fact, his clothes looked like they'd been stolen from bandits. If he really had fled Hyperion, then he would have had to travel through the Highlands to reach the travel station to the floating city. Roland informed her that he'd even fought off some loaders and defended his men before they tased him and brought him in.

The shirt, or what was left of it, was stained brown with blood and torn so severely from Bricks assault that it exposed most of his chest. There were many scars: some Maya suspected were only a few years old, but most were even older as if inflected as a child. The largest was over his heart, partially hidden by the cloth of his shirt. She wondered how far it traveled across his chest.

The monks had always told her that curiosity was a sin that needed to be controlled. She'd long stop obeying their lessons, but she'd rather return to the monks on Athenas than touch him.

"That light... You're.... a siren."

Maya pulled her arm away and wrapped a hand over the soft glow of her tattoos.

"So you can talk?"

"Oh... you know... I just need the  _ right _ ... conversation starter..." 

He bowed his head, and she quickly pulled away and stood up. She'd gotten too close, this petty vulnerable display had lowered her guard. No matter the situation, he was still a Jack.

"If you don't talk, I can't help you." She said stiffly, crossing her arms. 

"But… you can help  _ her… _ "

"Not unless you talk."

The Jack shook his head, and a weary smile crept upon his cracked lips. 

"Ask me the  _ right _ questions first."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 1 is done! I hope you dig it and stick around to read more. Comments and Kudos are so very welcome <3. Next update is on the Orphan timeline. 
> 
> FWI: This fic is the sequel to [Sharing Your Shadow: Orphan](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20471168/chapters/48574721). It was intended as one fic but I've separated them so you may choose to read the ark that interests you. Otherwise, I encourage you to read both at the same time. I'll be updating them in rotation. 
> 
> [AthenasAspis](https://archiveofourown.org/users/agentandromeda/pseuds/AthenasAspis) is my amazing Beta reader. Kudos to her for improving this work in so many ways!


	2. The Interrogation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic is the sequel to [Sharing Your Shadow: Orphan](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20471168/chapters/48574721). It was intended as one fic but I've separated them so you may choose to read the ark that interests you. Otherwise, I encourage you to read both at the same time. 
> 
> [AthenasAspis](https://archiveofourown.org/users/agentandromeda/pseuds/AthenasAspis) is my amazing Beta reader. Kudos to her for improving this work in so many ways!

The Jack wouldn’t talk freely and refused to answer a yes or no question with a simple shake of his head. Apparently, to the Jack, the movement was considered an answer, and he would simply reply: “I can’t do that.”

Still, Maya’s instincts persisted, that the Jack wanted to cooperate.

She insisted to the Raider’s that something was preventing the doppelgänger from talking freely, but her suggestion for a full body scan was seen as abhorrent. It took hours of convincing just to allow Dr Zed to see him. Getting him to a doctor was the first step in building their trust, but it provided her little comfort. 

The Jack was in bad shape, and even after Zed had performed his duties the Jack appeared to be barely holding on. The Jack’s hand was now bandaged, but his fingers were not salvageable. Too many days on the grime ridden floor and she was sure vermin had got to one of them.

She had to retire from her questioning early today. The Jack simply could not stay conscious for long enough, and the blood had not stopped spilling from his wounded mouth. 

Maya crossed her hands under her chin and rested upon the kitchen bench. Her brewing tea was long forgotten to the side. She was exhausted from days of questioning; she couldn't fathom what the Jack felt, but that was not her concern.

The Vault was her only goal, her only clue to finding the secrets of the Sirens, and if she had to befriend and coax this Jack lookalike, then that was a charge she accepted. 

She cursed quietly when realising her tea was undrinkable: her second cup wasted. Her mind would not stop replaying the days' events. Every detail was on repeat in her mind, their conversations a never ending loop she could not escape. 

"I want you to take my hand," she had asked him.

He whimpered, and his head started to roll to the side. He lost consciousness a lot. The worst of Brick’s assault took another cycle to show. There was so much bruising, he had more blue on his skin than hers. 

"If Hyperion doesn't kill you, the Raiders will. Either way, the noose is already around your neck."

He coughed, and a mouthful of blood dribbled down his chin. He'd tried to laugh again, and he shook as he chuckled.

"What kind of… last meals do they serve… here?"

Maya ignored his flippant attitude to life. 

"Just…" She took a sharp breath. Everything about this man was intoxicating, his fear, his pain. Her heart raced, more so than in any combat situation she'd been in. "Just squeeze my hand for yes."

The swelling around his eye had gone down, revealing the fear behind it. He stared at her open palm, as if she was offering him a cyanide capsule. Perhaps that’s why he took it?

Shaking fingers closed over her hand and squeezed.

"Good," she whispered.

Until now, the Jack had not responded in any form. Not even the slightest nod of a head, or a written confession. If Hyperion had wired him to not answer, then she could only hope for a workaround. A hand squeeze wasn't really an answer, was it? However, the trembling man before her said otherwise. He was terrified, a surreal look for Handsome Jack: a face she would not forget so easily.

Maya inched closer and asked her first question. 

"Are you Handsome Jack."

There was no response.

"Does Jack know you're here?"

Nothing.

"Did he send you?"

His hand remained unmoved upon hers. 

"Did you come to… help us?" 

He was panicking now. He tried to pull his hand off hers, but she held him in place with her other arm, Siren tattoos springing to life as she used her strength to hold him still.

"Answer me! Are you here to help us stop Handsome Jack?"

He was breathing so fast he was beginning to pale. He bit his lip as if suppressing an answer.

"Just squeeze my hand for yes. Nothing is going to happen."

_ A lie _ . Maya had no idea what Hyperion had in store for him if he answered her, but from the terror behind his swollen eye, it was worth being tortured over. 

"I'm done with this. So be it." She released his arm just as his cheeks began to turn blue from his panicked breaths. If this was all an act, then he had her convinced. Many men had been at the end of her gun: she'd seen fear consume the bravest of soldiers, but not like this.

He wasn't going to talk or answer in  _ any _ manner.

Maya sighed and stood up, and yet his hand remained wrapped around hers. She could have dismissed it as a spasm or a shiver, but when it happened again, when his fingers squeezed down, she could not deny it.

A moment passed, and he looked up at her, beaming a bloody smile. Whatever the Jack had been dreading did not come to past.

"You're here to stop Handsome Jack?"

He squeezed her hand again.

Maya couldn't help but smile back down upon the beaten face in front of her. It wasn't much, but the line of communication was open.

That was two cycles ago.

And since then, she had learnt  — as Brick had put it  — "Jack shit."

She was no closer to finding out what was preventing him from talking to her, and since the Raiders were not offering her support she turned to Axton. 

The commando didn’t flinch when she told him her situation, instead he was more interested in ‘checking out’ the Jack in the basement. She rolled her eyes. Honestly, she couldn’t fathom how the name ‘Handsome’ had stuck.

Once Axton gained his focus they discussed the possibilities. 

Cybernetic brain chip? Re-Programming? Did Handsome Jack take a hostage, was that why the ‘Jack’ refused to talk?

Maya did not believe it was the latter. Something was ingrained deep within him, as if he feared Handsome Jack was leaning over his shoulder listening to every word he said. 

The only victory she’d had was that the Raiders were finally past thinking he was the real Handsome Jack. He couldn't be, there were too many dispairencies, too many things that didn't sit right. 

However, it took Lilith and Brick the longest to come round. They only saw Handsome Jack and the crimes he had committed, not a wounded and tortured prisoner of war. 

“Why can't you talk to us?”

She'd asked it in so many ways, but the answer was always the same. 

"I can't tell you."

She couldn't even get a name out of him, a  _ real _ name.

He merely told her, 'my name is Handsome Jack.'

Axton huffed out a sigh through his nose and pulled up a chair beside the Jack. Maya always stood, and kept one hand on her hips, just an inch from her holster. The other hand was over the Jack’s hand while Axton asked the questions: they switched it up, hoping one of them would strike with the correct phrasing. 

“This person we need to save, she a friend of yours?” Axton asked and the Jack squeezed Maya’s hand.

She nodded to Axton, relaying the double’s answer to him.

“But she’s Hyperion, like you too?”

Another hand squeeze

“So explain to me how –”

“I can’t,” the Jack drawled, cutting him off. “You got a cigarette?”

“What?”

“A cigarette.”

“Yeah. I heard you,” Axton growled.

He eyed Maya, before making a disgruntled sound and pulling out a pack from his breast pocket.

“Here.”

He shoved the smoke between the Jack’s lips. His hands, legs, and waist were all still chained to the chair. They’d not been removed once since he’d arrived and the bucket under the chair was as rancid as a skag den. 

“My thanks.” 

Axton snorted and shoved a lighter under the Jack’s chin. 

“When are you going to the Bunker?” The Jack asked, while balancing the smoke between bloodied lips. 

Maya narrowed her eyes.

“You’re not here to ask us anything,” she said and the temptation arose to snatch the cigarette from his mouth. She did not, as the cigarette was the only thing smothering the smell from the shit bucket. 

The Jack merely shrugged and took a drag.

“Just making conversation.”

Axton gave her a puzzled look, and Maya silently agreed; this Jack was a weird one.

“Conversation, ay? Here’s a conversation for you. Why you here?” 

The Jack’s expression hardened.

“I told you. To save her.”

Axton pulled the chair closer and got right into the Jack’s face.

“Handsome Jack got your misses?”

The double’s expression darkened further.

“You’re wasting time. Release me and when I’m  _ there _ , then when we save  _ her _ , I can explain everything.”

Axton snatched the cigarette away and threw it into the corner.

“You think we’re stupid, pretty boy?”

The Jack glared, his irises brighter than anything amongst the red of his swollen eyes.

“You haven’t asked me the right questions yet, and so, you’re wasting time.”

Axton was always the first to lose his cool. He hit the Jack in the gut and the man bent in half, coughing and spraying blood all over Maya’s front.

“Axton!” She grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him away. “A dead man can’t talk!” She scolded him, “leave the savagery to the Raiders.”

The Jack spat one last mouthful blood before sitting back up.

“Look, you’re giving us nothing to go on,” Axton said and went for a cigarette of his own. The Jack eyed the smoke like a wanderer eyed an oasis in a desert. 

Maya snatched the smoke from Axton and shoved it back into the Jack’s mouth.

“Here. Now help us get to the right questions”   
  


“Well the hand holding trick is smart,  _ cute _ , but smart.”

Maya curled her hands into fists. He sounded SO like Handsome Jack; the mockery, the flippant attitude, and that stupid bloodied grin.

“This person we need to save, are they a victim of Jack’s?” Axton asked.

The Jack looked between them, and chose to reach for Maya’s hand and squeezed it.

“Is it a Raider? One of us?”

No squeeze.

Maya eyed Axton and shook her head, relaying the information to him.

“Will they die if we do nothing?”

Hand squeeze.

“Are they are at the Bunker?!” Maya blurted out, recalling how the Jack had asked them when they were leaving. 

The Jack squeezed her hand so hard, she was sure she lost circulation for a moment.

“The Guardian Angel is the only one we know there,” Axton said.

The Jack’s eyes widen, and though he refused to address Axton’s comment Maya knew they were on the right topic.

“But… she’s an AI… a  _ Hyperion _ AI.” Maya’s eyes narrowed: she studied the Jack’s expression for a tell, something to reveal his intent, but she found nothing. “Do you want us to save the Guardian Angel AI?”

The Jack squeezed her hand, though the movement was not as fast or intense as before, as if he hesitated answering. 

“This is ridiculous,” Axton scoffed and crossed his arms. ”I’m not risking my life to save a Hyperion AI. An AI who also betrayed us and almost had all of Sanctuary wiped out.”

“You… Don’t understand...” The Jack spoke so softly, Maya almost didn’t realised it had came from him; the Handsome Jack was falling away.

He spat the last of his cigarette out and bowed his head. The chains over his chest cut in deep and when he took a deep breath it appeared his lungs couldn’t reach full capacity. He was paler than before, and Maya honestly didn’t know if it was from the blood loss or the topic of conversation.

“You need to give us more to go on, these yes and no questions are not going to satisfy the Raiders. Lilith wanted us at the Bunker to retrieve the key  _ days _ ago,” She said and this time she squeezed his hand.

“Or…” The Jack’s voice dropped, losing more of it’s once sharp edge. “There’s another way… but I can’t –”

“We know.” Axton snapped and stood up. “You  _ can’t _ talk about it.”

“Get me a doctor.” The Jack jerked his head up and met her gaze. No matter how pale his face became, or broken his voice those eyes of his remained sharp and cold. 

“You’ve seen a doctor,” Maya said stiffly.

“I need… a surgeon.” The Jack’s voice was growing smaller by the second and Maya swore she saw his jaw tremble. “I can… tell you everything, but I need a doctor present, and… Ashins, hypos, everything you have.”

“What the hell are you playing at?!” Axtons good cop approach rarely lasted an entire session. “You’re our prisoner, not a patient.”

“If you don’t get me a doctor, I won’t be able to talk.”

Axton shook his head. “You’re not fooling anyone. My guess, this whole charade is made up just so we can fix whatever Hyperion did to you. The moment we get you clean, so you can talk and be free, you’re gonna put a bullet between our eyes and bail.”

Axton rested a hand on his holster.

“Honestly, I’m thinking Lilith is right, come on Maya.” He turned on heel and marched out the door, when she didn’t follow he called for her again. “Maya! Just leave him.”

She silently agreed. There was nothing to indicate that the Jack was telling the truth, perhaps this was a play to get him ‘fixed’ so he could leave Hyperion. She checked the Jack’s restraints, changed the bucket over and shoved a glass of water under his chin. 

He drank. She felt violated having to help him, but if she didn’t, the Raider’s would leave him to die of dehydration.

“Please…” He whispered and his chained hand tried to reach for hers.

His voice was a hook, lodging into her heart and pulling her back to him.

The Jack’s expression was like nothing she’d seen prior.

“I’m ready now…” He said and bit his lip. “I’ll talk. Just do as I ask.”

Maya took a sharp breath and shook her head.

“It’s insulting you think we’d believe a word from your mouth.” She had to be strong and not fall for Jack’s games. Handsome Jack was a liar, a psychopath, a narcissist, a dictator, he was as manipulative and cruel as the god’s themselves.

She closed the cell door and locked it.

“This is over.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gasp! the second chapter is here! Lemme know in the comments if you're reading both stories, I'm curious to hear what you think of this dual format of story telling. (lol i've yet to write a fic that doesn't have two timelines running at the same time.)
> 
> I will be updating orphan next :3  

> 
> This fic is the sequel to [Sharing Your Shadow: Orphan](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20471168/chapters/48574721). It was intended as one fic but I've separated them so you may choose to read the ark that interests you. Otherwise, I encourage you to read both at the same time. 
> 
> [AthenasAspis](https://archiveofourown.org/users/agentandromeda/pseuds/AthenasAspis) is my amazing Beta reader. Kudos to her for improving this work in so many ways!


	3. The Charge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [AthenasAspis](https://archiveofourown.org/users/agentandromeda/pseuds/AthenasAspis) is my amazing Beta reader. Kudos to her for improving this work in so many ways! X

“They sent Brick back in.” Axton leaned in the doorway and ran a hand over his face; the lines under his eyes were heavier than before.

Maya lowered her cup but said nothing. She had little sway in the Jack’s fate: after all, he was the Raiders’s prisoner. Axton made a beeline for the fridge and pulled out a beer. He sat opposite her and crudely opened the drink on the edge of the table.

“Whatcha thinking?” he asked while playing with the label on the beer bottle. 

Maya sipped her tea, buying her some time to reply: “I…don’t know what to believe.”

“Same here.” Axton took a sizable drink and put his beer down. “I mean…you look at him and you see a Jack, he talks like a Jack, acts like a Jack, but then…”

Maya nodded her head. There was something else there, something that wasn’t Jack at all. But the moments were fleeting. If only she could latch onto that part of him and convince him to talk without giving into his demands.

“I want to see him one last time,” she announced, and Axton gave her a perpexled look.

“Just once,” she said with a reassuring smile. “Before we leave for the Bunker.”

“Right. Well, I’m coming too then.”

Maya smiled. Axton’s support gave her the confidence when it mattered and yet it still terrified her to stand up to the Raiders. It wasn’t so long ago when her opinions meant nothing. Maya shivered thinking of the men who had once ruled her life, but Axton’s goofy smile stilled her shakes and she followed him out towards the dungeons. 

* * *

The way down to the dungeons was a long and foul descent. Maya was thankful for the engine works of Sanctuary as the oil and grease masked some of the decay. They passed no Raiders: perhaps they had retired for the evening?

Maya let out a tiny sigh, relieved not to hear the sound of flesh being broken. She did not need to witness Brick at work: the aftermath of his interrogation revealed more than enough. 

Axton held the door open for her—always playing the gentleman in the darkest of situations—and she entered the cell.

Maya frowned.

Dr Zed busied himself in the corner of the room whilst leaning over the Jack, and yet the Jack was no longer on the chair. Instead he was cuffed to the metal frame of a bed: a mattress and sheets were a luxury he did not deserve. But that didn’t stop her wincing at the sight. The wire metal below him was rusted and was surely going to infect the wounds upon his body. 

“Why have you moved him? You know who he is, right?” Axton blurted out.

“Sure do,” Zed said without looking up. “But he’s not going to survive much longer in that.”

Zed gestured to what remained of the chair which had been the Jack’s home for the last week. Blood soaked the armrests, and the back of it was bent all out of shape. 

“Lets see: broken ribs, minor puncture to the lungs, broken eye socket, and he’s lucky he has a hand, I managed to stop that part getting the snip.”

Maya eyed Axton and a silent moment was shared between them. Perhaps they should not have left the Jack so quickly. All this damage and for what? Had Brick’s methods revealed anything new?

“Is he awake?” Maya asked. She did not appreciate how weak and fragile her voice sounded.

“Who knows. No pain meds for this one. Raiders’ orders,” Zed said with an irritated huff.

Maya was the first to approach, and Axton silently followed behind her.

There was a large gash on the Jack’s lower wrist and she grimaced at the sight. Had Brick really intended to cut off his hand? The Jack took long rattled breaths after the other: his lungs were probably filled with blood.

“Could you leave us for a moment?”

Zed hesitated but eventually agreed.

“I’ll just be in the warden's office.”

The moment they were alone Axton pulled up beside her.

“Holy shit, Maya,” he whispered into her ear.

If the Jack was awake he did not acknowledge them. He was terribly pale save for the bruising which covered most of his throat and jaw. The shirt he came in with was barely existent, buttons torn and the once white fabric opened like a vest. The scars she’d seen before were on full display. They were definitely not inflicted by Brick, far too old. But the one she was most curious about — the scar she’d not investigated earlier — was still hidden under the cloth.

Maya carefully pinched the fabric (not wanting to touch him any more than necessary) and pulled it to the side. The Jack flinched as she moved the shirt, but made no comment. The Handsome Jack she knew would never stop yammering into her comm. This Jack was too quiet.

The scar over his heart was thick, raised, and very old. But there was something precise about it, as if it was the work of a doctor, but one with ill training and a bread knife instead of a scalpel. Surely the Jack could afford the best surgeon and not some Pandoran-certified doctor?

"Don't… bother asking," the Jack mumbled, weeping blood from his lips. Maya’s eyes widened; she’d not expected him to be conscious. "I can't… talk about  _ that _ scar."

She flicked the shirt out of her grasp and wiped her hand on her pants. Nausea curdled in her stomach; she should not have touched him. Axton leaned in close in a way that was obviously protective: he had a funny thing about that, as if the Jack’s very words were a threat he needed to protect her from.

“Got…a cigarette?” the Jack coughed and Maya made a repulsed sound as his blood splattered across her pants.

“Not today,” Axton replied and Maya glared at him. His answer sounded almost genuine. 

She had to remind herself who he was. The recordings they found at the Exploitation Preserve painted a gruesome picture. So many lives were destroyed and countless victims tortured. This was nothing that he did not deserve. 

“Then fuck off,” the Jack coughed again and closed his eyes.

He tried to roll away but the cuffs on his wrists kept him in place. 

“Well, you’ve got a doctor close by, why not tell us what you wanted to say the other day,” Axton asked and nudge the edge of the bed with his shoe. 

Realising they would not leave, the Jack opened his eyes again and glared up at them through puffy tissue.

When he did not answer Maya spoke sharply: “The Raiders will kill you.”

Though she wished it wasn’t so. A trial should be conducted first.

“Jack will kill me soon...” He spoke into the wall, his voice distant and frail. “I only wanted… to be there… for her...” he trailed off before revealing any more.

“Handsome Jack?” Maya’s heart leapt hearing the name, and she realised that the name ‘Jack’ when used to refer to the man in front of her did not invoke the same fear and response. 

“You're gonna have to make a choice.” Axton’s jaw drew tense and he shifted on his feet. “Sorry, buddy.”

This time, Maya didn’t glare at Axton for his empathy. Was it pity she felt for the Jack? It couldn’t possibly be sympathy. 

The door creaked loudly, grinding on its rusted hinges.

“Raiders want to speak to you both,” Zed called from the doorway.

“I’ll come back,” Maya said to the Jack and offered him a grim smile. 

He wheezed and tried to paw at his chest with the restraints, but nodded that he heard. As she walked away she shivered: she should not offer him her humanity. It was as if the closer she was to him the harder it was to forget who he was. 

Axton and Maya found the Raiders in a heated discussion, and it seemed the conversation had not progressed since they first brought in the Jack.

"We can't wait any more." Lilith stressed. "Every day is a day closer to Jack opening the Vault."

"Maya was making progress," Axton lied.

“Do not bullshit me.”

Maya looked away as Axton stood his ground against Lilith and a warmth blossomed in her chest and crept upon her cheeks.

"Progress? What have we learned?! That he's here to help? Bullshit." Lilth slammed a hand to the wall. 

"I’ll resume my interrogation, but I’ll need more time," Maya insisted, "and will you please move him somewhere more...sanitary."

"Excuse me? Handsome Jack's accommodation is not up to scratch?"

"Lilith, please," Roland placed a hand upon her shoulder and she shrugged him off.

"Am I the only one who remembers what he did?! Remember how we found Tannis?! What he did to her? To the people of New Haven. Hundreds dead, slaughtered, or carried off to the Preserve. Tina’s own parents!"

The tattoos on Lilith’s arm turned a fiery gold as she spoke: “If this all falls apart, if  _ HE  _ hurts anyone on Sanctuary, it’s on you.”

"Maya, it's your mission, it's your call to go to the Bunker." Roland turned to her but there was little confidence in his voice.

"We've got this." Axton punched a fist into his palm. "Right?"

Maya curled her hand over the book at her hip: a nervous habit. The Jack wanted them to save the Guardian Angel, an AI. But why? She turned to Axton for confidence.

“Fine. We go tomorrow, and if this Guardian Angel turns out to be an ally, we will do what we can to save her.”

“Right. Agreed.” Roland gave her a curt nod. 

“But our priority is the Vault Key, we must secure...”

Maya trailed off, interrupted as a long anguished scream rang down the hall.

“Raiders!” Zed’s call struggled to be heard over the Jack’s agony. “You lot better all get in here! NOW!”

Maya pushed out the door and sprinted for the cell. She didn’t stop to see if the others were following and barged into the Jack’s prison. The Jack remained on the wire bed, his fists curled at his side, back arched like a bow and his screams rang off every wall.

"What the hell!?" Maya rushed to the doppelgängers side. "What did you do?!"

"I swear I didn't touch him!" Zed shouted over the Jack's loud suffering.

Axton came to her side and wrapped a hand over her shoulder, nudging her to move away from the Jack.

"GET IT OUT!" The Jack screamed and pawed at his chest. The cuffs on his wrist tore at his flesh as he struggled to reach his heart. 

"What is it? Get what out?!" Maya wrapped a hand over his tightly clenched fist but he yanked away from her and ripped at what was left of his shirt.

“FUCK!” The Jack wept and tears ran through the blood and grime on his face.

“God’s name is that...” Axton whispered as he gazed over Maya’s shoulder. 

A small red dot glowed beneath the Jack’s skin, over his heart and under his collarbone. Surrounding the light was the large scar Maya had studied earlier.

"The hell?" Zed leaned over her shoulder. "What's in you, son?"

"Pace.... maker..." The Jack wheezed and scratched at his chest. "J-Jack... has a pacemaker..."

"Pacemaker?" Maya queried, looking at Zed, and a little embarrassed she had to ask. There were many things she was sheltered from while on Athena’s. 

"Hell. Those things are as old as the Vaults. Regulates your heartbeat. Most days, you'd get a –"

"JUST GET IT OUT!" The Jack cried and kicked at the cot. "It's a FUCKING bomb, you idiots!"

"What?!" Maya grabbed the Jack's wrist again.

The red light under his chest was now flashing slowly, and as the moments passed, it increased in frequency.

‘Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck,” The Jack was scrambling to be free, eyes widening as he stared at the bright light in his chest.

"All right, son, suit yourself. Good luck having a beating heart when that things' out." Zed huffed and rolled up his sleeves.

"You're cutting it out of him?" Axton made a tense sound over clenched teeth.

The doctor shrugged. "He says it's a bomb, I believe him."

"Handsome Jack sent him here with a bomb in his chest?!" Lilith had ran into the cell. "What have I been saying all this time?! We need to toss him.  _ Now _ ."

"No!" Maya dug her fingers into the doppelganger's wrist, binding herself to him.

"He carried a bomb on here. There are hundreds of civilians sleeping above us."

"ENOUGH!” Zed shouted “I want all this ruckus out of here!" He began to push Lilith towards the door.

Roland and the rest of the Raiders joined the fray, all trying to shout over one another. As the chaos ensued behind her, Maya lingered closer to the Jack.

Sweat dripped down his forehead and his breathing was laboured.

"Jack..." he murmured, and she inched closer to hear. "Must...have finally realised...where-where I was..."

"Why do you have a bomb in your chest?"

He did not answer. Instead, he turned his pale gaze onto hers and squeezed her hand.

"Her name is Angel," he said and his grip tightened. "She's at the Bunker. She's  _ not _ an AI, she's a  _ person _ . A real person. Jack… he's been… using her." Before the doppelganger could continue, he pushed his head back into the cot and screamed. 

The light within his chest was pulsing furiously now.

"She's a Siren..." he finally managed to rasp. "She's Jack's...she’s...." He was losing consciousness fast.

Maya squeezed his hand.

"She's what?"

"...You have...to save her."

She could hear it now: a thin electrical sound coming from his chest. The charge was gearing up, and she did not know whether to stay or flee his side.

The choice was made for her.

Zed shoved her away, scalpel in hand. There was no luxury of general anaesthetic or antibacterial precautions. The blade slid over the Jack's chest, and the skin split apart with perfect precision.

The scream that rang out silenced them all.

The Jack convulsed, and Zed beckoned Axton over to hold him down. Maya did the same. The Jack's eyes rolled back into his head and his jaw hung open, a small trickle of blood escaping over his lips.

Maya gagged when Zed pulled the wound open. 

“Jesus. He does have a pacemaker.”

There was a small round silver case, much like an old pocket watch under the skin. 

“I remove this, your heart isn’t going to work. You know that, right?”

But the Jack didn’t reply: he’d passed out from the pain. 

“Hurry it up!” Roland commanded and Zed growled and got to work.

He snipped two sets of wires, and then carefully removed the device. Meanwhile, Axton fixed a drip line into the Jack's arm. Multiple Anshins were administered, including a rare organ damage variant, but Maya doubted it would do any good.

The Jack was pale as stone, his breathing no longer laboured but shallow and slow.

Zed passed the pacemaker to Roland, who turned it over in his hands before holding it up to his ear. 

“It’s a nano charge,” he said, and to everyone’s horror, Roland split the silver device in half.

Something within it fell to the floor and Maya backed away.

“Is it safe?” Zed asked.

It was a tiny thing, no bigger than a vitamin capsule, and yet the sound grew with intensity now that the charge was in the open.

“Hurry up and deactivate it!” Lilith panicked but Roland merely examined the device with calm curiosity.

He stood back up and crushed it under his boot. The electrical sound died with a single spark and smoke billowed out from under his heel. 

The Jack laid motionless on the wire cot. Chest cut open, and blood weeping from the wound. Zed hurriedly tended to him, but the Jack could not possibly survive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bet you thought I'd slow burn you with the torture >>>>>:3 Comments/thoughts/keyboardsmashes and gifs make my day shine!!! xxx
> 
> This fic is the sequel to [Sharing Your Shadow: Orphan](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20471168/chapters/48574721). It was intended as one fic but I've separated them so you may choose to read the ark that interests you. Otherwise, I encourage you to read both at the same time. 
> 
> [AthenasAspis](https://archiveofourown.org/users/agentandromeda/pseuds/AthenasAspis) is my amazing Beta reader. Kudos to her for improving this work in so many ways!


	4. The Infirmary

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [AthenasAspis](https://archiveofourown.org/users/agentandromeda/pseuds/AthenasAspis) is my amazing Beta reader. Kudos to her for improving this work in so many ways!

It was her call. 

She made the choice to go to the Bunker, and she was the one who trusted the information they got from the “Jack.”

And it all led to Lilith captured and Roland dead.

Zero recognised the grief twisting inside of her and took it upon themselves to tell the rest of Sanctuary the news. Maya couldn't do it. 

Leader or not, she had failed.

Maya pulled her chair up to the bed and held Axton’s hand. He laid beside her, with stubble over his chin and large bags under his eyes. There were enough bandages on his chest to mummify a small child. A loader had broken his shield and landed three shots before she was able to take it down.

Now he was recovering in the infirmary and all Maya could do was wait for him to wake. He was on a heavy concoction of drugs, mostly at his own request, and so he was coming in and out of consciousness. 

The Vault Hunters looked to her for leadership, but who did she have to look to? She only had Axton to confide with, and their friendship, though new, had a long way to go before she could reveal everything.

"Always nice to wake up to a gorgeous face." 

Maya flinched, surprised to hear him wake. Axton grinned, though the expression looked painful. 

“What did I miss, babe?”

Maya rolled her eyes, but she held his hand even tighter.

“You nearly died, you idiot.” It was an exaggeration, but at the time she feared for his life.

"The girl…”

Maya tensed; she knew what was coming next.

“...Angel, she alive? Did she make it?" 

Concern was a strange expression for Axton; his carefree demeanour rarely allowed him to let his guard down. But the situation with the guardian Angel had ruined them all. Gaige was inconsolable. Zero was quieter than ever, Axton had tried to carry Angel out of that place even after he was shot, and herself? She was hurting, more than she cared to admit.

Sirens rarely had a happy story, and Angel's was the saddest of them all.

"She… she's here," Maya replied and squeezed Axton's hand. "But… she..."

Axton winced, and the machine next to him beeped as it delivered another round of morphine.

"We can talk about it later," she said, but she did not know if he heard.

His eyes closed, and a small drip of drool hung from his mouth. Maya supposed it was adorable, but his situation was anything but. Axton was shot with corrosive bullets. He'd bragged he would have “sick scars”. Maya reasoned he'd find a silver lining to anything. 

"Got a moment?" Zed had yanked the curtain back and stood at the foot of the bed. He was a mess, and Maya wasn’t sure what colour the apron he wore was meant to be. 

She reluctantly left Axton's side and closed the curtain behind her. 

"Got those scans back that Roland ordered, before, you know, he kicked it."

Maya's jaw tensed, and she resisted the urge to throw the man against the wall. 

"And?"

"Oh right, so the Jack guy, he has some kind of cybernetic implant in his head, I forget the name of the part that deals with talking, but it was over that part." Zed ran a bloodied hand through his hair, and Maya winced just at the thought of anyone's bodily fluids touching her. "I'm thinking that's the reason the boy can't talk."

"Are you sure?"

"Hell if I know, I ain't a real doctor."

_ So you always say, _ Maya thought but remained silent.

"So I'm thinking, if he said a word that Jack didn't want him to say, then that pacemaker of his would have burst him open. Well not like, open-open, but it would have busted every artery surrounding it."

Maya considered what Zed told her, and the Jack's last words. The double had feared Jack would know where he was, that his time was limited.

"You think Jack remotely set it off?"

Zed merely shrugged.

"Is he awake?"

"Dunno. He says nothing to me." Zed took off his bloodied gloves, threw them towards the bin, and missed. "I had him moved to the morgue, so no one accidentally runs into him. I'm sure he's used to the dead for company."

Maya reluctantly thanked him and left.

With Roland and Lilith gone, she did not need to seek their permission to see the Jack. The Raider’s had even turned to her on a few matters: asking what the plan was for revenge, how they were going to save Lilith. She had no answers for them. 

Maya huffed, and ran a hand through her hair. She was used to being the piece on the chessboard, not the one placing down the pieces.

The Jack was another piece in the game for the Vault. The question was, was he Handsome Jack’s knight or was he one of hers?

She took the stairs down and shivered as the air dropped and the walls became narrower.

The morgue was less pleasant than the dungeon: the air was foul, death laid out on tables, surgical equipment sat unwashed in basins and lights flickered at a rate that would turn the living insane.

The Jack was in the centre of the room, chained to the autopsy table. Zed or someone had the decency to put a thin blanket underneath him for warmth, but the rest of him was exposed to the elements.

He'd likely die of hypothermia and not from his injuries at this point. He appeared asleep, so she left and returned with a blanket from the infirmary above. The scarring on his chest was healing, and the bruising on his face and neck was gone. She was also relieved to see there was no infection on his hand from where his fingers were cut off. He'd been pumped with so many Anshin health-kits she wouldn't be surprised if his blood now had healing properties. 

Maya threw the blanket over him, and he stirred as the material landed over his chest.

He opened an eye, and then his mouth, but no sound came forth. She wondered if he'd finally been drugged.

"Sup," he drawled, and glassy eyes stared up at her. "Pum...kan. Pumpkin?"

He was definitely drugged.

She supposed it was for the best. The pain alone had knocked him out cold from his last surgery.

"They… gave me somthin… real-real nice. Here you should have some." He waved his hand to the corner of the morgue and pointed at an empty corner.

"I'm good," Maya replied. 

Zed should not be counted on for future administrations. The Jack was, as Axton would put it, “off his tits.”

"We went to the Bunker."

"Oh yeah?" His voice dropped, but his expression remained sloppy and content.

"We found Angel."

His expression fell faster than a casing to the ground. He struggled to sit up, but the chains on his wrists held him down. He winced and huffed as he tried again. His drugged mind refused to accept he was tied down.

Maya rested a hand on his shoulder and kept it there until he stilled.

"Stop moving, you'll tear your stitches."

"Where… where is she? Where's Angel." He struggled again, and Maya pushed him back to the table.

"She's here."

"I-I need to see her. Is she, she ok?" He slurred and shook his head. He appeared frustrated with himself and kept biting his lip.

Maya had foolishly believed she could have avoided this conversation, save it for another day, but the Jack would not rest.

"Take me to her."

Maya said nothing.

"Get me out of here," his voice sharpened, and the “Handsome Jack” act was taking over. “Dammit! Let me free”

Maya sighed and tapped her hand against her holster.

"You frickin bandit slut, let me out!"

Maya hit him, and his head went flying back onto the table. 

"Fuck!" He cried out, and he must have bitten his tongue on the impact as he spat out a mouthful of blood. He aimed it at her, and that's when Maya left.

* * *

Axton was discharged from the infirmary at the end of the week. The Jack, on the other hand, remained where he was. He'd apparently sobered up, and became aware of the dead around him. He called out, but no one came to see him. 

But Maya visited the hospital every day. 

Angel rested on a mountain of pillows; her tiny pale body was almost lost amongst the white.

They had brought her back, but they could not save her.

Maya did not hold Angel’s hand, but she sat beside her. A steady supply of Eridium was all that kept her alive, and the moment the formula slowed, her organs began to shut down. Zed and Tannis could not detect any brain activity, but still, her body lived.

Maya fidgeted with the strap latch over her book, and waited. It was now only a matter of when. Someone had to switch the supply off, and Maya gathered it would be her. Throughout history, how often did one Siren have to kill another? She’d rather she didn't know.

There was only one person who did not know, and not had the chance to say goodbye: the Jack in the basement. With the Raiders scrambling to restore order, and the other Vault Hunters too focused on Handsome Jack and revenge, the Jack had become her responsibility.

She requested Zed and two Raider guards bring him to her. She’d tried her best to make the order sound firm, but her voice could not find the right inflection.

The guards gave her a side eyed glare, but they left to retrieve the Jack without any vocal dispute. The guards dragged the Jack into the infirmary, taking the time to insult and push him with every step. She waited, arms crossed for them to come to her. The Jack was dressed in a plain t-shirt and a pair of old military pants. His head was bowed, hair over his face, as if sheepishly avoiding her. 

Perhaps he remembered their last conversation, but regret was not in Handsome Jack's handbook, and she doubted it was in his.

His hands were cuffed behind his back, and he trembled as he stood. The flight of stairs must have taken everything out of him.  _ Good _ , she thought.

“Remove the restraints,” she commanded. For a moment, she felt confident that her voice had found its strength, until the guards started to argue.

Maya’s hands curled at her sides.

“I gave you an order.”

“The restraints are staying on, mam,” one of the guards replied, but there was a tremble in his voice. 

Maya resisted the urge to sneer: being a Siren had his perks. Her feelings, most of all, anger, were connected to her powers. The flashes of her tattoos were hard to miss, and so the guards took one look and conceded. They unlocked the Jack's chains but they were not gentle.

The Jack rubbed his wrists and kept his gaze downwards. 

"Give us space, but do not leave," she told the guards, and they nodded and moved to stand by the exit.

Maya waited, but the Jack did not look up or say anything. Did he think this was his execution? She watched him for a tell, but the Jack gave nothing away. 

"I've brought you to see her," Maya said.

The Jack's head jerked upright, exposing the black eye Maya had given him. 

A long, painful moment passed before he spoke.

"Thank you," he squeezed out. Maya reasoned it was a phrase he wasn’t used to saying.

He blinked slowly and swayed a little. 

Had they been feeding him?

His collarbone stuck out over his shirt, and his cheekbones were more prominent than before, something Maya didn't think was possible.

She beckoned him to approach. He obeyed and silently shuffled forward. Despite his poor condition, Maya found herself unable to turn her back to him, so she stepped to the side and pulled the curtain away in an awkward motion so as not leave herself vulnerable.

Angel remained unmoving, pale arms above the covers and her hair sprawled out behind her. The tattoos on her arm were scarcely visible and the marks on her neck from where she wore the collar had not faded.

Maya drew her gun and her heart leapt against her chest as the Jack rushed past. He bolted to Angel's side and wrapped his hand over hers.

"Angel," he whispered and leaned into the bed. "Baby, girl."

Maya put away her weapon and holstered it, but she kept her hand ready.

"Angel? Kiddo?" He gently shook her shoulders, and it pained Maya to know she would not wake.

"Angel!" The Jack became more insistent, and placed his hand over her pulse. "What's wrong with her? What did you do?!" he snapped, and his grip on her hand tightened, knuckles going white.

"We lost good people bringing her back here," Maya stepped forward, and her tattoos lit up the room. "You could have told us more, warned us about the Bunker's weapon, her Eridium supply, what Jack was doing there. What more do you expect?" 

"I told you to save her!" He pulled away from the bed, but his hand never left Angel's. "She was trying to help you all this time!"

"I know that," Maya growled and her hand curled into a fist. She held a small ball of phaselock energy in her palm, ready to fire if he moved any closer. "But we weren't prepared. Jack killed Roland, and he took Lilith."

"You think I care?" The Jack let go of Angel and stretched his arms either side of him, as if welcoming Maya to take the shot. "I didn't come to you to help your cause. I only came for her."

"Then be with her!" Maya snapped. "She…she won't have much time."

Zed came to her side and cleared his throat:

"That Eridium there is all that's stopping the rest of her organs shutting down. And we're just about out." If Zed was sorry, he didn't show it.

"Then get more," the Jack snarled, and what was left of his fragile demeanour vanished.

"Sorry, it ain't going to help. The damage is done, and that body is on its way out."

The Jack took a sharp breath, and his jaw clenched tight. He glared between her and Zed before finally turning back to Angel. He moved the bedside chair over and sat down, keeping his back to them both.

"Will you leave us?" he asked, voice unnaturally soft.

"No."

She almost apologised until he looked back at her and she saw the face of the man who had gunned down Roland. He turned back and shifted closer to the bed. The Jack kept a hand tightly wound over Angel's own and his other hand cupped her cheek. 

Maya shifted from toe to toe, conflicted on whether to stay or not. This intimate display was not for her eyes, but Handsome Jack's body double was not to be underestimated. Jack and Angel had undermined them too many times; she would not be distracted by one mere display of affection or empathy.

She kept a hand over the holster of her weapon, ready to draw it the moment he showed any signs of defiance. Her hand tightened over the grip, until he sobbed loudly. The Jack bent over the cot and buried his face against the Siren's shoulders and shook.

Maya’s jaw dropped, yet she promptly shut it. She could not recall ever seeing a grown man cry before. The monks did not display such emotions. Crying was the result of attachment, something she was forbidden to have.

Never would she have believed the first expression of anguish would be from Handsome Jack. 

"You deserved better than him… than me." He whispered between loud hiccups. He brushed the hair from her face, revealing the faint freckles on her cheeks.

Zed left, and Maya chewed her inner lip. It was a surreal feeling, seeing another mourn for someone else. She had no real personal attachment to the girl, besides their Siren lineage, but the Jack's grief was intoxicating.

The Jack whispered something else, but Maya couldn't hear. She silently approached.

"I was a coward. I should have fled… I should have done so much more." The Jack cried and held the girl close. "But Jack…" His shoulders shook as he said the name. "He… he –"

The Jack never finished his sentence. Tannis yanked back the curtain and stood at the end of Angel's bed.

"Is it done? Has the girl passed yet?"

Maya groaned internally.

The Jack threw himself to his feet.

“What did you say?!”

Maya raised a hand between the scientist and the double, but she should have gone for her weapon.

The Jack smashed the chair he had once stood on and armed himself with one of the broken legs. Maya could only stare wide eyed. The Jack had moved so fast, and possessed a strength she did not know he had.

“Stand down,” she warned, and the tattoos on her arm shone brightly. 

The small metal beam he held was blunt, but it would serve as a weapon.

Maya finally drew her gun and aimed it at the Jack's head.

“I said, stand down.”

"The hell is she talking about!" the Jack roared and pointed the metal beam at Tannis.

"I was just inquiring if she was dead.” Tannis said, and Maya bit her tongue at the apathetic tone.

“She's a Siren, you know. Fascinating!” Tannis clasped her hands together and approached the bed. “A new one will soon be born into this world."

"Tannis, please –" Maya tried to defuse the situation, but the damage was done. 

The Jack charged forward, and Maya did not hesitate to shoot him. She aimed for his head but she hit his arm instead. He cried out and stumbled back, leaning across the bed he smeared blood all over Angel's covers.

"You… you want this." He breathed heavily, teeth bared and a vicious glint in his eye.

"No," Maya said firmly. "I don't, but there is nothing we can do," she pleaded, and raised one hand as a sign of peace and very slowly lowered her aim with the other. "Put down the weapon, and we can talk."

"No," he hissed, "No, I did my talking." He jabbed a bloody finger at his heart. "And you didn't FUCKING LISTEN."

He charged forward, and Maya didn't know if he could survive another bullet. The Jack raised his weapon, he had a clear shot to hit her, and yet Maya did not shoot.

Axton called her name, and a moment later the Jack stumbled, weeping blood everywhere.

The Jack's arm drunkenly fell, along with the metal beam to the floor. Axton emerged from the Jack’s side, and he slowly let the Jack fall to the floor. A needle was embedded in the Jack’s neck, the contents empty.

"Sleepytime, Jacky boy," Axton mockingly cooed as the Jack collapsed to the concrete.

Maya let out a breath: relief washed over, but like the tide, it was sucked away and replaced with fear and agitation. She had hesitated to shoot him. Would she hesitate when it came to the real deal?

The Jack wasn't entirely unconscious. His eyes tried to stay open, and he struggled against the floor. He tried to say something, but his words were slurred. Maya carefully approached and knelt down beside him.

"Can...can I…" His mouth hung open, and his pupils were dilated and unfocused. "Can… I… see her… a-again?"

"No."

Maya stood up and turned to the two guards who had been utterly useless the entire time.

"Take him to the dungeons."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, writing maya has been a lot of fun. I hope you enjoy my characterisation of her. 
> 
> This fic is the sequel to [Sharing Your Shadow: Orphan](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20471168/chapters/48574721). It was intended as one fic but I've separated them so you may choose to read the ark that interests you. Otherwise, I encourage you to read both at the same time. 
> 
> [AthenasAspis](https://archiveofourown.org/users/agentandromeda/pseuds/AthenasAspis) is my amazing Beta reader. Kudos to her for improving this work in so many ways!


	5. The Cycle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sup, sup, sup, How are you all doing? This fic is very much active despite the long break, and I hope you can distract yourself from the current world's problems with this angsty fic. Eat it up.
> 
> [AthenasAspis](https://archiveofourown.org/users/agentandromeda/pseuds/AthenasAspis) is the damn best Beta reader. Kudos to her for improving this work in so many ways!

When Axton asked if he should cover Angel, Maya could only reply with a stiff nod.

She'd stared at the face of a broken, pale and abused child long enough and now she could barely keep her head up. 

Axton covered Angel with a sheet, while Gaige laid flowers over her chest. They were beautiful, and Maya had never seen anything like them on Pandora.

She almost wanted to ask Gaige where she had found them, but the other woman wasn’t able to linger for long. Angel’s body, though covered, was not a sight she’d welcome again. She was nothing but bone and violet tissue, and the Eridium was the only liquid in her body when she took her last breath.

Perhaps she was right not to let the Jack see her again. The sight would have surely sent him into madness.

A Raider suggested they take a photo of the corpse and send it to Handsome Jack. Maya held this man in a Phaselock over the edge of Sanctuary. She let him go eventually, but she did not see where he landed.

Each Vault Hunter came and paid their respects, but Maya lingered the longest.

There was an aching throb over Maya's heart as if some great beast had made its home in her chest. She drew a deep breath and closed her eyes. Maya knew she'd made the right decision, but not a moment went by where she didn't wish she'd made a different choice. 

Maya let the pain pass, eyes still closed, and waited.

The rest of the Vault Hunters were preparing for another raid into Handsome Jack's defences. She'd been absent on the last two missions, and though she knew she was right to stay by her Siren kin, it was now time to rejoin the fight. 

Angel would become a painful memory and nothing more.

Maya took one last deep breath and opened her eyes; Tannis stood at the end of Angel's bed with her hands crossed behind her back. The scientist's gaze was oddly focused on Angel, and yet, not in a sombre manner; it was as if she were confused.

"The girl, I… I feel a great deal of pain for her," Tannis said and stepped closer. "It's strange. I did not know her." 

Maya did not currently possess the patience needed for a conversation with Tannis. She made to leave and gave a curt nod to say her goodbyes, but the scientist continued to ramble:

"I wonder...why? Or how? How did she do it?" 

Tannis did not elaborate. 

Maya passed the end of the bed, and when she brushed passed, she felt it: the electricity in the air from another Siren. 

Angel had been too weak from imprisonment to radiate power, and so the last time Maya had felt the presence of another Siren was at Lilith's capture.

But it was here now and stronger than ever.

Maya moved so abruptly she almost slipped on Zed's freshly 'cleaned' floors. 

"Show me your arm."

Tannis's eyes narrowed, and she kept her hands firmly held behind her back.

"Is this some kind of courtship? A strange place really —"

"Your arm. Show me," Maya demanded, surprising herself with the darkness in her voice.

Tannis' frown deepened with recognition.

"If you wish to see my arm, to know if I'm a Siren, then you'd be wasting your time. I am not."

"Tannis I am  _tired_ , a girl is  _dead._ "

"I don't see how that has anything to do with me?"

Maya summoned a ball of phase energy. She kept it concealed in her palm, but Tannis' senses were sharper than any scalpel.

"I will show you my arm if you put that thing away," Tannis said and waved her hand towards Maya as if to shoo her away.

Before she could remove her coat, Maya grabbed her by the shoulder.

"Not here." 

She shoved Tannis away from the bed and pulled the curtain back, shielding Angel from their dispute.

"Your arm," Maya said, glaring at Tannis' conveniently gloved hand. 

Tannis made an irritated sound and removed the coat.

"I know that death can make people sad, irritable, maybe a tad rash. So I will show you my arm. However, please know that I understand this reaction you are having."

Maya raised a brow, but her expression remained focused.

Tannis took the liberty of carefully folding her jacket and placing it on the end of an empty bed, before turning back around to reveal the rest of her body.

"See. Regular human skin." 

She held her forearm forward, and when Maya leant closer, Tannis pulled away. 

Maya scowled, though she couldn't closely examine Tannis' arm it was clearly pale (likely from never having left a lab), but still very much human-looking.

"Leave," Maya sighed.

"You are far more pleasant when that blonde brute is with you. Perhaps, he can be around more often?"

"Leave," Maya said with a  sudden hiss of fury and vitriol.

When Tannis hesitated, Maya's hands curled into fists, and her tattoos sparked to life. A blaze raged down her arm, and the powers Maya had once had control over became a wildfire.

The infirmary was alight with electric blue Eridian markings, and they quivered across the walls along with Maya's shaking arm. 

The effect was dizzying. 

The need to cast a phase-lock was bubbling over, and if Tannis did not leave Maya doubted she could hold it any longer.

Her tattoos shone so brightly that Tannis became blinded from sight, and when the marks finally faded, the scientist was gone.

Maya fell to the edge of an empty bed with a loud cry and cradled her head in the palms of her hands. Letting her powers surge forth like that was Lilith's way of handling matters, not hers.

She should have found a quiet place and considered her responses before approaching Tannis. 

_"You must sit idle, and if you must act, meditate on your choices before committing." _ Maya scolded herself, with the voices of Brother Sophis whispering in the back of her mind.

The decrepit man's voice was as slimy as his hands. He'd always held a palm to her shoulder as he spoke: ever touching and guiding her to where he wanted her to go.

The Order was no longer her master, and she was no longer a prisoner to their cult and influence. 

Maya wanted to kick and scream. Instead, she impatiently tapped her fingers along the cover of her book. 

Her leadership used to be nothing like Lilith's, but every passing day she was relying more and more on her powers to get answers. She was quicker to anger, and now no stranger to demanding her needs.

Was the Order merely a layer now peeled away to reveal who she really was?

Maya wandered back over to the curtain in front of Angel and gently pulled the faded green material aside, revealing Angel's white-sheet-covered form. 

She wondered what Angel's true nature would have been without Jack's influence. Would she have been on their side all along? The younger Siren had given her life for their cause. Angel's true intentions may have only been revealed at the very end, but Maya firmly believed Angel would have stood with them from the start if not for Handsome Jack.

Maya closed the curtain and made towards the infirmary exit.

_Handsome Jack._

His name was slag in her mind. The more she thought of him, the more poisoned and darker her thoughts became. The tyrant had taken so many lives, and now she took one from him. Was that where her rage and power came from? From the satisfaction in knowing they were winning?

She'd come to Pandora to learn of the Sirens, the Vaults, and her past. Yet, ransacking the land and helping a child commit suicide was all she'd accomplished.

_“You’re a bandit, a child murdering psycho!”_

Handsome Jack was right, she was those things, but Maya had no intention in ever letting him find out. 

* * *

The Jack was calling out again. 

Maya had watched him through the security feed, and every time he called out to see Angel, her hands restlessly scratched upon the leather of her book.

She tried to postpone the inevitable by cleaning the warden's office, meditating, watching the security feeds, more meditating, and her final distraction was sorting through the Jack's possessions. Roland had the items removed and stored away, and until now, no one had thought to go through them. 

She laid them on the table and considered them all.

There was his Echo, gear-chip (fully loaded with a wide range of arsenal), his leather gun holster, Hyperion branded leather boots, a worn scarf, belt, goggles and a helmet.

The only thing that may have held any sentimental value was the watch. It had a silver link band and a dark teal interface. Maya tapped at the device, but it did not react to her interactions.

She couldn't make anything of it, and so she tossed it back with the rest of his belongings.

She turned on his echo, but got no further: the device was  heavily encrypted . She would need to acquire someone more technical minded to have any chance of taking a peek inside.

Perhaps Gaige?

Athenas wasn't a planet up to date with the latest software, builds, materials and weaponry. Axton had laughed at her for a solid minute when she'd accidentally deleted all her inventory on her gear-chip. 

When she finally recovered it all she had used an electric grenade to silence him. 

"Hell," Maya whispered to herself. Mucking around on that train, Gaige howling with laughter at Axton's static hair, seemed aeons ago.

Maya huffed, and a smile crept upon her lips.

The train ride had been terrifying, and the Handsome Jack dummy with its dozens of explosives was not the reason for her terror. In all her 27 years, Maya hadn't interacted with anyone who wasn't an aging monk, or an overly curious doctor.

When Axton asked her name and began boasting about every planet he'd seen, she couldn't offer anything to the conversation.

She just awkwardly nodded.

Even when he winked and told her of the multiple Sirens he'd encountered, she had nothing to say. It embarrassed her to know he knew more about Sirens than her. However, her shame was short lived. 

When they discovered that there could only be six living Siren's at a time, most, if not all of Axton's claims were debunked. His embarrassment became Maya's relief: they were all just as clueless as her. 

After that, it was a lot easier to talk to him.

Maya packed up the last of the Jack's belongings and stored them away, this time in a different location. She didn't need any misguided Raiders thinking his possessions were fair game. 

With Angel dead, they just lost their bargaining chip for information with the Jack doppelganger. However, from the state he'd been in the past week, Maya doubted he valued his life any more than a skag’s.

"I'll tell you everything you want! Just LET me SEE her!"

The Jack's call clamoured down the hall.

Maya's hands shook as she exited the warden's office, and she generated a small orb of phase energy just to keep them still and focused. 

The monks told her not to 'waste' her powers, not to use them in such frivolous ways, but nothing brought her more comfort than holding so much strength in the palm of her hand.

She toyed with the energy, letting it lap over her fingers as she walked the dungeon halls.

"I know you're there!" The Jack yelled, his tone was dark and vicious. It wouldn't be long until it sounded desperate. Every day he cycled through his limited range of emotions: anger, betrayal, and frustration.

Axton said he'd be with her when they told the Jack, for safety, he insisted.

She paused before reaching his cell.

"You ready?" Axton approached her side. 

He smelled of cigarettes and alcohol, likely a combination of encouragement from Moxxi, and grief. However, the smell didn't bother her, not like it used to. She released the phase energy she held captive against the floor. Maya had no use of the power of the Eridians when he was by her side.

She gave him a grim smile, nodded, and opened the cell.

The room was small, but at least the Jack's bathroom facilities had upgraded to include a sink and a toilet. The only furniture was a tattered bed, which reeked of mildew.

Axton groaned and screwed his nose up, but he followed her into the cell.

The Jack’s hands were held tightly behind his back in handcuffs, and a heavy chain was shackled to the floor. Maya reasoned he had about a metre of room to move either side of it, enough to reach the bed and toilet. She noted that the sink was likely out of reach.

"Hold up," Axton said and held a hand to Maya's side. He gestured to the ground.

A faded red line was on the floor marking the rest of the Jack's chained limits. 

Before Maya could safely move away, the Jack leapt to his feet. 

"Where is she?! What have you done with her? Is she ok?" He pulled forward, wincing as his shot arm twisted behind his back. He  gave a strangled whine , and there were fresh bloodstains on his shirt: he must have torn open his stitches. 

Maya looked to Axton and waited, hoping he would say something.

"You're gonna want to sit down," he said, and the Jack's face paled.

The Jack stepped back and took a sharp breath, and from the expression on his face, he knew why they were there. 

"Go on, sit back down," Axton said, but the Jack only bit his lip and shook his head.

His body shook as he spoke feverishly:

"No... no, no, no...she… Angel, she's strong." 

When Maya and Axton didn't reply, his eyes widened, and his expression became desperate.

"She's... strong. She... can't."

He swayed on the spot and the chains behind him rattled across the floor.

"No!" He snapped, "you said…you…were meant to save her…"

"I'm sorry," Axton sighed, his voice was a strange mix of sympathy and irritation. 

For a moment, Maya was sure the Jack would burst into tears, his eyes shone so brightly. Instead, the scar on his face contorted and a cruel and violent glare landed on both of them.

"You're not," the Jack growled and yanked on the restraints, pulling himself forward.

Maya stood her ground.

"We did everything we could," she stressed, and the Jack's glare focused on her. His eyes appeared unnaturally bright in the dimly lit cell as if he were half predator.

In a way, he was. 

"Get. Out," he snarled, and the whites of his teeth flashed in the dark.

Maya crossed her arms. This Handsome Jack act was becoming too predictable and tiresome.

"I said, GET OUT." 

The Jack's chest was rising and falling fast, and if he kept it up, he'd surely pass out.

"Why the hell are you still here!?" 

Axton moved to stand closer to Maya's side. 

The Jack was hyperventilating now, and blood was weeping across the floor. 

When Maya entered the dungeons, she had merely intended to tell the Jack that Angel had passed. Yet, once again, his grief was captivating, and she could not help but want to offer him something, anything. She'd felt that pain before, with Handsome Jack at the Bunker, how he pleaded with them to spare his kid.

She'd believed him until Angel insisted not to.

"Get out!" The Jack yelled, with spit flying from his mouth..

"Ok!" Maya raised her hands in submission. "We're leaving, just sit down. Your stitches are torn."

The Jack stopped pulling on his restraints and gazed over his shoulder down at his arm. He paled further at seeing the damage he'd caused.

"I'm getting the med box," Axton whispered and left.

"Don't bother, I'm fine," the Jack mumbled, but Axton left anyway. 

While she waited for his return, the Jack's breathing remained erratic, and he swayed on the spot.

"Sit." Maya pointed to the bed.

He did not move. Instead, he bowed his head and shook.

Maya carefully leaned forward, hoping to catch a glimpse from under his long mop of hair. When she saw him, that twisting feeling over her heart returned. There were streams of tears over the Jack's cheeks, creating little rivers of clear skin over the grime. 

He was breathing through clenched teeth as if preventing himself from crying aloud.

It wouldn't surprise her if she learnt that crying was a forbidden trait for a Jack doppelgänger. 

"Did she…" He made a pained sound and looked away. "Did she wake up, at all?"

"No," Maya said and wished she hadn't sounded so blunt. 

He did not try to hide his anguish any longer, he looked up at her, and there was pain in every line on his face. Maya believed he meant to say something but Axton swinging the cell door open caused the Jack to retreat. He stumbled a few feet back and rested against the cell wall. 

"You gonna behave?" Axton raised a brow and watched the Jack intently.

The Jack blinked back tears and shook his head.

Axton sighed and tapped his foot impatiently to the ground.

"You've lost a lot of blood, pal. No point fighting any more."

There must have been something in Axton's tone that displeased the Jack. He launched off the wall, and the cuffs on his wrists tore his flesh. Like a feral dog, he pulled and tugged on his shackles.

"I came ALL this way, for HER! She was a FUCKING CHILD!" 

Maya had nothing left to say and was not going to reward his behaviour with her presence. She turned on her heel and began to retreat. Axton asked her to stay, saying something about the Jack's stitches but she merely called back.

"Zed or the Raiders can deal with him. I'm done."

* * *

The Jack stopped crying out for their attention, and later that week, he stopped eating.

Maya had foolishly instructed the Raiders to encourage the Jack to eat. As a result, they were invading her home daily, sometimes three of them at a time, demanding why they kept the Jack alive.

"Roland would have wanted a trial," she insisted. His legacy was all she had to bargain with, but soon it wouldn't be enough. 

A day later, Handsome Jack tested his new eye of Helios on a village in the Highlands, creating a fresh wave of refugees. Many spoke of revenge, and it wouldn't be long until a guard let slip about the double in the dungeons.

And if the double died, like Angel, it would be her responsibility to clean up. 

"That's the seventh meal he's rejected," a guard explained and placed down the tray. The gravy and skag meat was untouched, but the Jack had arranged the vegetables into a smiley face. 

"Is he drinking?" Maya asked.

"Yeah, but not much, mam."

"Keep an eye on him. I doubt anyone else would be so…" Maya trailed off. Was it care that the guard showed? Or were they trying to live by Roland's example? 

Maya had made a point to not visit him since discussing Angel's passing, but now there was another matter to be dealt with. And for all the decisions she'd made over the last few weeks, this was a choice she could not make on her own.

Maya visited the Jack’s cell alone. 

The Jack laid on the wire bed, facing the wall. His hands were still cuffed behind his back, and the flesh was starting to scar where he'd pulled and torn to be free.

When he did not turn to look at her, she cleared her throat. 

"We… had her, Angel, cremated," Maya said, and stepped over the red line.

Without Axton guarding her every step, she felt she had the liberty to be a little laxer in her defence. Besides, the Jack was too weak to pose a threat.

Maya took another step towards the cot and kept her composure still, and her arms relaxed at her sides.

"Is there anywhere you'd like her ashes cast?"

The Jack remained silent.

"If you give me no answer then I'll cast them off Sanctuary."

The Jack said something, but his voice sounded like static from an echo-radio: hoarse from weeks of yelling.

"What was that?" She asked and very carefully approached.

"It's been over a week," the Jack growled.

Maya frowned and waited for the Jack to explain himself.

"Why the hell did you wait so long for a cremation?"

Maya didn't have an answer that would satisfy him. It had taken Zed a few days to clear the furnace, and Tannis had said something about an infection that had spread from the labs to the infirmary. Regardless, Angel had laid in the morgue until preparations could be made.

"That scientist... the mad one," The Jack rolled over and glared at her. His irises were electric in colour compared to the red, puffy tissue around his eyes. "She didn't touch Angel, did she?"

Maya frowned and slowly shook her head.

"No."

Maya spoke the truth, and yet her stomach rolled over as if she'd lied.

The Jack sniffed loudly and tried to clear his eyes by rubbing his face against his shoulder. The movement looked painful, but the Jack had never been very vocal about his own discomforts.

"Can... I be with her one last time?" he asked quietly.

Maya nearly stomped her foot in response.

"Absolutely not."

For a moment, it appeared the Jack wanted to beg, but the thought left his face. He blinked slowly and stared at the ceiling, and soon the pain on his face was gone. 

It was surreal, like the hand inside a puppet was just yanked out of him: so much grief and turmoil, gone in an instant. She supposed Handsome Jack did not allow such emotional displays.

And she was right: a moment later the Jack scowled, and his voice became bitter.

"Then why bother asking me. Do as you want."

And he rolled away from her to return staring at the wall.

***********

Angel's ashes were cast off the West side of Sanctuary. The wind picked her up and carried her towards the Highlands; hopefully someplace green, or towards where Gaige found those flowers.

All of the Vault hunters came and paid their respects, Zed and Tannis too, but very few words were said. The Guardian Angel communicated in their heads and Echo's for months, and what did they know of her? 

Nothing. 

Maya had said a prayer she had learned from the Order, but the words felt dry leaving her mouth. Regardless, she blessed Angel's soul, guiding her towards storm clouds where she would find rest.

Maya bowed her head, suddenly regretting the brief eulogy. 

Everything the Impending Storm had told her was a lie. Why carry their legacy and force it onto others? But there was little else she could say. Maya couldn't speak a single detail of Angel that didn't tie her life with Handsome Jack.

She was Handsome Jack's Daughter; she was his weapon, his tool and his slave.

But who was she? Maya's jaw clenched shut and bitter taste filled her mouth.

She didn't know anything about the girl who gave her life for them.

Gaige was sobbing loudly and tried to say some words, but all she managed in the end, was an angry scream and several curses towards Handsome Jack:

"It's not fair! How does he keep getting away with this!?"

Gaige furiously shoved a finger towards Helios.

No one answered her, and Maya had to pull her gaze away from the tear eyed teenager. In a way, Gaige was a lot like the Jack below them: filled with grief, then anger, then silence. 

There was nothing she could say that they didn't already know: Handsome Jack needed to die.

The sun was setting fast, and the cool wind kicked up around them. Gaige became unsteady on her feet, still shaking with sobs, and so Maya silently gestured to Krieg to take her away from the edge of Sanctuary.

He was surprisingly tender, and wrapped an enormous arm over the young woman's shoulders and nudged her away from the edge.

Zero and Salvador soon followed to Moxxi's.

Only Axton, Tannis and herself remained.

Axton nudged her shoulder.

"Heya gorgeous, sad face time is over? Let's head back with the others?"

"You go." Maya forced a smile.

Axton gave her a pointed look, and Maya encouraged him again to head to the others:

"It's ok. I'm ok." 

He hesitated for a moment before rubbing her shoulder and leaving.

Maya was alone. 

She ran her hand over the cover of her book, tracing the intricate details with the tips of her fingers.

No one who knew Angel personally was present for her passing, or her funeral, and Maya couldn't help but draw the parallels to her own life.

Who would mourn her if she died? If she had passed on Athenas there would have been an enormous service, but it would have been for the Siren she was, not for who she was.

Maya drew a long deep breath, all while wishing she had something to say for the girl that hadn't been some doctrine speech. 

Maya flinched when another spoke behind her:

"And another Siren's cycle is over."

She'd forgotten Tannis was lingering behind her.

"What do you mean?" Maya turned to face the other woman.

"As you learnt, only six Sirens can exist at once. Angel's life has come to an end, and now another will be born."

"So... a child..." Maya whispered.

Tannis abruptly opened her mouth, as if to counter, but promptly shut it.

"So we should look at hospitals? Ask midwives?"

"Yes!" Tannis said with odd enthusiasm. "That's exactly what I meant."

Angel was born into the wrong family, abused and drugged. Maya didn't even know her parents and was traded into a cult.

What would become of this new Siren?

Maya's jaw clenched tight. 

"I want to find this new Siren," Maya said and looked Tannis' in the eye. The scientist would often do everything she could not to meet her gaze, but this time she did.

The Vault had been Maya’s goal and killing Handsome Jack was just a hurdle to get there, but now, she felt like she had more focus than she'd ever had.

She would find and train the new Siren. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed your angst soup. I promise you'll get a Tim POV scene soon >:3 
> 
> This fic is the sequel to [Sharing Your Shadow: Orphan](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20471168/chapters/48574721). It was intended as one fic but I've separated them so you may choose to read the ark that interests you. Otherwise, I encourage you to read both at the same time. 
> 
> [AthenasAspis](https://archiveofourown.org/users/agentandromeda/pseuds/AthenasAspis) is the damn best Beta reader. Kudos to her for improving this work in so many ways!


End file.
